This mockumentary centers on a pair of filmmakers whose ill-considered effort to create a cinematic portrait of a serial killer goes off the rails, forcing the two directors to become part of the story. Colin Bemis, the real-life writer-director of Strawberry Flavored Plastic, manages to wrangle all of this meta stuff into an interesting if sometimes awkward thriller, anchored by actor Aidan Bristow as Noel, an alleged serial killer who convinces Errol (Nicholas Urda) and Ellis (Andres Montejo) that he was recently released from prison for a murderous crime of passion. Noel’s claim does not hold up, but Errol and Ellis decide to continue filming him anyway when they discover that he’s a deeply violent man (perhaps even a killer) in his own right. Noel addresses the filmmakers in interviews and negotiations with a somewhat forced chivalry, and they in turn drip with obsequiousness while trying to keep him interested in remaining a subject. But the foolhardiness of engaging with a psychopath comes to haunt Errol and Ellis, who desperately want to wrap up the shoot but don’t know how to end their movie. Strawberry Flavored Plastic bogs down when Errol and Ellis deliberate and point fingers at one another, but Bristow is operating on a long leash here that gives him room to go from quiet to monstrous in half-a-moment, and he is the real draw in this tale reminiscent of (the superior) Man Bites Dog. Recommended, overall. (T. Keogh)
Strawberry Flavored Plastic
Breaking Glass, 107 min., not rated, DVD: $24.99 Volume 34, Issue 5
Strawberry Flavored Plastic
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